OnePlus X is the latest smartphone from Chinese manufacturer OnePlus which is selling in the mid-range bracket for 16,999 INR. We have the Onyx variant with us (ceramic one is a limited edition) and we have now closely examined OnePlus in our personal space, and are better equipped to answer popular user queries. Before we proceed, take a look at hardware specifications.

Answer – OnePlus X has a very good quality Full HD AMOLED panel, sourced from Samsung. Needless to say, blacks and contrast ratio are awesome. Whites have the characteristic blue tint when you view from extreme angles, but nothing to put you off in day to day usage. We like the display on OnePlus X

Question – How is the outdoor visibility?

Answer – Outdoor visibility is no problem at all. With 50 percent brightness and adaptive brightness on, everything was readily visible under the sun.

Question – How is the design and build?

Answer- OnePlus X looks and feels so much better than both OnePlus 2 and OnePlus One. The side metal frame and glass on front and back feel premium and add a decent heft to it. The display uses a 2.5 D curved glass which gently curves around the edges and ads to the premium appeal. In spite of glass backm, it isn’t slippery. Side edges have fine grooves which lend OnePlus X a firm grip.

The glass on front and back are however prone to smudges. The alert slider which we first experience in OnePlus 2 is also present on the left edge.

Question – Does the display support gorilla glass protection?

Answer – Yes, the display has Gorilla Glass 3 protection. A scratch guard is also affixed on the display out of the box.

Question – Are the capacitive keys backlit?

Answer – No, capacitive keys are not backlit. They are almost invisible, but somehow that agrees with the overall design (with prominent blacks). This is good news if your prefer on-screen buttons. You can turn them on from the settings and inactive capacitive keys won’t look hideous lying passive below the display. You can also swap recent apps and back key from settings.

Question – What kind of SIM card does it accept? How is the quality of SIM Card tray in X?

Answer – The OnePlus X accepts two nano SIM cards, but since it is a hybrid dual SIM device, you will have to choose between second SIM and MicroSD card slot. The SIM card tray is made of same alloy as the side metal frame.

Question – How much internal storage space is free? Can Apps be moved to SD card on X?

Answer – out of 16GB, 11.5GB is available at user end. Yes, apps can be moved to the SD card as well.

Question – Is USB OTG supported?

Answer – Yes, USB OTG is supported.

Question – How is the OnePlus X performance?

Answer – OnePlus is using last gen Snapdragon 801 quad core chip here. While some may cavil about the use of ’32 Bit’ chip in a 64 bit world, but we would take Snapdragon 801 over Snapdragon 615 or MT6752/MT6753 in mid-range device any day. Performance has been very smooth so far.

OnePlus X Benchmark Score

Antutu

38409

Vellamo Metal, Browser

1497, 2762

Quadrant

21128

Nenamark 2.0

56.5 FPS

Question – Does OnePlus X have heating issues?

Answer – No, it doesn’t have heating issues but yes temperature soars with heavy usage. In all day to day operations including camera app usage, the phone runs cool, but it gets warm with gaming. When we benchmarked the phone and were constantly throwing things at it about an hour, it got uncomfortably hot from around the right corner and top edge.

Question – How much RAM is free on first boot?

Answer- Out of 3GB, around 2GB RAM is free on first boot. We didn’t find any issue with RAM management.

Question- How is the OnePlus X camera?

Answer – We liked the camera performance on the OnePlus X for both rear and front snappers. By default the camera app shoots 12.7 MP Images and saves them as JPEG. Shutter speed is fast and color accuracy is also pretty good. HDR Mode works well too. The 8MP front selfie camera is very gratifying as well.

OnePlus X Camera Samples

Question – How is the call quality?

Answer – Call quality is very good in our area.

Question – How is the Battery backup on OnePlus X?

Answer – Battery performance is average. Antutu battery tester pitches a score 4917, which is inline with our initial opinion. It is still too soon to talk about battery backup, and we will update this part in next few days.

Question – Is the battery removable on X?

Answer – No, battery is not user replaceable.

Question – How many sensors does OnePlus X have?

Question – How is the software?

Answer – OnePlus is using Oxygen OS, which is very close to stock Android in terms of design, but adds subtle and handy customizations. Since we personally love stock Android, we think the OxygenOS on OnePlus is spot on.

As we highlighted in our hands on review blacks are prominent if you stay with the dark theme. For instance, grey notification tray is black. Folder background is black (even in light theme). You can change the accent color for the UI only if you select dark theme.

Developer mode also has several handy options, like the one which allows you to directly boot in recovery mode.

OxygenOS Gallery

Question – Does OnePlus X support Gesture features?

Answer – Yes, you can turn on gestures from settings. This allows you to double-tap and unlock your phone or draw O to open camera app from lock screen and likewise. Gestures don’t work when screen is on. You can also assign actions to long-press of any of the three navigation keys.

Question – How loud is the loudspeaker on OnePlus X?

Answer – Loudspeaker grill is present on the bottom and sound quality and loudness is pretty cool.

Question – Should I choose OnePlus One or OnePlus X?

Answer – OnePlus X is better looking, more manageable and has a better camera. The OnePlus one has an edge when it comes to high end performance, runs cooler and has better battery backup. So, ultimately it depends on your usage. I, for one, am more inclined towards OnePlus X.

The OnePlus X is indeed impressive. The handset scores well in terms of design, camera performance and software. Alas, only if it had a fingerprint scanner. We will spend some more time with it to be sure and update our finding in our full review.

The author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion for writing and learning is what drives him each day. When his workday ends, he enjoys spending time with family.

[…] OnePlus X doesn’t stray far from the One in terms of specifications, but is a more manageable and better looking options which certainly looks appealing. Rigged metal side frame, 2.5D curved glass on top, rear glass surface and vivid AMOLED screen all compliment the fresh design of the OnePlus X. […]

[…] OnePlus had last year, it continues to impress us in 2016 with OnePlus 2 and more recently, the OnePlus X. The handset offers compact and manageable form factor and the premium combination of glass and […]